This is a post to aid potential buyers of areas to look for when buying an R. I had a recent transaction with someone on this board that blew up in my face. I am not passing blame on anybody and take responsibility for my own actions. I just felt the need to post this to help others look for things that might easily be overlooked or go unnoticed if you’re not looking for it ahead of time.

Other R owners, please feel free to add to this list as I didn’t intend for my post to be all inclusive, but just what I learned from my personal experience.

I hope to protect future owners in the process of buying a classic like the R. This post obviously doesn’t go for just R’s, but my experience entailed an R, so I’ll post this here.

1) When test driving the car, before starting the car, simply turn the Key to the ON position and check to make sure all of the lights turn on. If any are missing, mostly the Check engine light, ABS, or SRS lights don’t turn on here, your going to have problems the owner isn’t telling you about. As happened in my case, the CEL light bulb had been ripped out, and the ABS/SRS cable was pulled so the lights wouldn’t show. Something like this can only take a few seconds to check and can save you a lot of heartache. This just happened to me, and I needed 2 o2 sensors, an ABS brain, a wheel sensor and a SRS cable to the steering wheel.

2) Bring a tire pressure checker – I know this is annoying, but he may be trying to compensate for the car pulling in one direction by adding 60psi to one tire to make it less noticeable. I know this would be rare, but hey it happened to me.

3) Don’t inspect the car at night, there is a lot that you may not notice missing in the dark, like the rear passenger seat belts. Something you wouldn’t expect to even look for, but the overall idea is to make sure you get a good visual of the car in broad day light and look for things like this that could just be gone from the car.

4) Confirm your wheels if they are aftermarket. I was told I had spoon SW388 wheels, and didn’t know enough ahead of time to know the difference to realize I had painted slips to look like spoons. Some people will take the opportunity to lie to you if they know they can pass one up on you.

5) Just don’t rush a sale, take the extra time to have someone professional inspect it. You could end up finding things like brake lines wrapped around axles, and parts missing like pieces of timing belt covers.

6) Check for chipping paint on bumpers and fenders, this is most likely an indicator the car may have been in an accident, even if the Carfax is clean.

7) Shift boot nut missing – not a huge thing, but look for it.

8) Ask good questions, like last oil change, last plugs/wires done, clutch, etc.

9) A motor rebuilt that was given the excuse, “it’s losing it’s pep” when the paperwork shows cylinder # 4 was shot.

10) Check all windows for small chips/cracks as you'll need your windshield replaced.

I know there are more things, I’ll edit this post when I have more time as I’m at work currently and can’t remember everything. Please feel free to add to help others avoid thousands of dollars in repairs.



Modified by soulrider4ever at 1:01 PM 1/16/2008

 

How about asking them to prove to you they have performed leak down and compression testing. Thats one of the biggest i would be concerned with. Everything else is cosmetic really. Driving the car you will be able to tell if there is an issue with grinding of gears or the whining of bearings. Its also important to drive the car aggresively(with caution and being as careful as possible). The shifting of gears when just driving the car daily vs on track are completely different.

 

whoa, you have slips instead of spoons now too?

im sorry expletive that kid, his name needs to be brought up and banned...

 

Take a 'fridge magnet to scan body for Bondo.

 

it sounds like you've learned some valuable lessons

tanx for sharing man

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Jon D &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">How about asking them to prove to you they have performed leak down and compression testing. Thats one of the biggest i would be concerned with. Everything else is cosmetic really. Driving the car you will be able to tell if there is an issue with grinding of gears or the whining of bearings. Its also important to drive the car aggresively(with caution and being as careful as possible). The shifting of gears when just driving the car daily vs on track are completely different. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Fak that.... With the newly acquired teg, I told the owner I was coming to do a compression test He had no clue what that was but he let me do it I had it up on jack stands inspecting every inch of the car, I still have not found anything I didnt know about

OP, Check all VIN's as well.

 

This is actually a great idea. With all the knowledge in this forum and if soulrider keeps the 1st post updated with any newly acquired info, this can almost be printed out and taken with you to the inspection process and used as a form of a checklist. to you soulrider!

 

I'd like to know who dicked you over and if he is among us...

 

Make sure the engine is a B18C5 with proper stamping and VIN. Look for the LSD stamp on the transmission as well.

 

Make sure all factory sticker's and vin tags are still in place and match. If any of these items are missing, find out why. Was it a collision or a repaint for some reason?

Under the hood, there should be 2 big stickers and a vin tag.
Both front fenders will have a vin tags visible in the engine bay.
Front bumper has a vin tag
Driver's side door jam will have vin tag, tire pressure tag, interior and exterior color codes and the will also be a Manufactuer's tag located there.
Rear bumper and hatch will have vin tags.

OEM ITR shocks/springs will have a blue, green, and purple marking on the springs.

If shock tower bolts or ANY engine head bolts have tool marks on them, find out why that was fixed or replaced, or why there are tool marks on them.

If possible. Remove the valvecover and look for any burnt engine oil residues or caking on the underside of it. That can be an indicator of poor maintenance.

Ask to see all reciepts if available for any work performed on the car.

Never believe a Carfax report at face value. It is easy to get around that.

I'm sure I'll think of more later.

 

Im sorry that this happened... spoom wheels ouch..( i like rotas but he should of told you that they were knock-offs) ... and yes his name should be shared if he's on H-T just so he won't do this kind of thing again ... I've been in your shoes twice... Now I always inspect my new purchess. you live and you learn.

 

Also of note, water temp, should be on the line just to the left of dead center, if it's not getting their, your looking at a thermostat. Nothing huge, but just pay attention.

 

when you check the green vin tag on the block and the transmission make sure the numbers actualy match the vehicle

 

I know who this is talking about, but I think everyone else needs to know.

That is bullshit, I can't believe he got over on your like that.

Thankfully, I got lucky with my R. Haven't found one thing that made me say 'What the hell?' yet.

 

4 shizzle...

 

things that i didnt think to check for are the little things

- make sure your horn actually works
- make sure the rear seat belts work (as in will they unload and let you pull them out)
- 98-01's - check to see if the rear hatch opener is working
- look for the NORMAL things that should be under the bay... you know important things like windshield wiper fluid resevoir, etc. (always fun going to fill it because you think its not working cuz its out of fluid only to find the thing isnt IN the bay)..

and lastly, if you travel for the R, go knowing you MAY NOT buy it... know you dont have to, and be prepared to buy a plane ticket home if its not what you thought it would be.

 

Check the inside of the muffler for black soot. If the car burns oil, a shitton of carbon deposit will be in the inner lining of the pipe.

Check the frame. Body panels will be fixed to near perfection. A pulled out frame is very noticable.

 

Any prof the wheels are rota's? I personally held them/looked at them/took pictures of them and they looked legit to me. They have the Desmond sticker on the inside and says made in Russia. I was there when he bought them, if they are fake then he got ripped also since he paid the price of a "real" wheel.

As far as the condition of the car, you looked at it I believe more then once, correct? You knew the front bumper/lip were chipped up, I mean common the car had 130,xxx miles on the body and it was daily driven for a good time.

I can't speak for the check engine light, maybe he didn't know it was missing either? He didn't have the car long before traded. All I knew was it ran strong for what it was and would keep up with other JDM Type R swaps.

As far as the SRS you had to of known about the "brain" or ring whatever you want to call it wasn't there since it came with an after market hub/wheel.

To all of you jumping on this ship and wanting to "ban" the member, ask him where his car is and what condition it's in? Oh right, nobody cares that it's sitting in a garage with no motor in it due to it blowing.

Your previous car, blew smoke the first time I saw the thing I knew the rings were going.

All in all, I don't think you should have made a post about this on HT where people that have no idea on the situation post and pick sides based on one person's statement.

If YOU had a problem with that "member" about the car you should have called him and worked something out. Not come online and cry to the high and mighty "Type R" forum.

 

I'd like to see some proof as well.

Expected. Agreed.

So it's a JDM Type-R engine? That explains a lot then.

I believe he's talking about the actual brain, which is located in the rear of the car.

The risk you take when you buy a BOOSTED Type-R, it's obvious it's boosted, and the problems that have come to be expected from a boosted Honda, should be expected. He traded a stock 'Mint' stock Type-R, these problems should be checked for, but are not expected from a 'Mint' stock Type-R. (I quote mint, as it's a loosely used term)

Ok, so the other 'Member' knew initially as well I assume? Once again, it's a boosted stock internal B-Series, certain problems should be checked for, and expected with such a setup. It's not hard to run leak down, compression, and various other checks. It's a lot harder to check for the problems associated with the other 'Member's' car.

Shouldn't he be here to explain HIS side? But you're right, I myself did jump to a conclusion rather quickly. I'd like to hear the other side of the story... It's easy to say 'I didn't know that was like that', and there's nothing to substantiate either claim, so it kind of sucks either way for arguement's sake.

Eh, I agree with you on that too.

I think the other 'Member' in the story, should defend himself. Not his boy.

 

oh so it has a jdm itr swap and not a rebuilt usdm swap?

you guys could have done a leakdown test just like he could have...however the missing CEL and ABS light bulb is a bit sketchy, considering an "older gentleman" owned it before, and i highly doubt that old guy would take out the bulbs...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by crxgator &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">oh so it has a jdm itr swap and not a rebuilt usdm swap?

you guys could have done a leakdown test just like he could have...however the missing CEL and ABS light bulb is a bit sketchy, considering an "older gentleman" owned it before, and i highly doubt that old guy would take out the bulbs...</TD></TR></TABLE>

No, it has a rebuilt USDM R motor in it. It say's it all in the paper work giving to the owner. I don't know all the details but I think it has the over sized pistons in it.

I dunno where you are getting the "older gentleman" owned it before gig, but the car was bought from a kid, the person who had the car before was a young adult.

The car passed state inspection also, so it couldn't have been THAT beat like this member is making it out to be.

 

well that was advertised in the ad, that an older gentleman owned it before him...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by crxgator &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">well that was advertised in the ad, that an older gentleman owned it before him...</TD></TR></TABLE>

The owner before the "kid" was a older man, but the kid had it after.

And I am not talking for or to protect my "boy" as go fight kill likes to think. He is at work and unable to get onto the internet. I found this thread and thought I would stick up for him before you all took it to the next level listening to this quack.

 

What a joke; the car came with rota's...

Before he went to meet up with you to trade; He was at my house and I was helping him re-install the factory steering wheel.

The wheels are desmonds no some rota's as you claim;you could have easily went home, swapped wheels with a friend, and said the car came with "rota's


As far as I know the car didnt have a CEL and the car ran perfectly fine.
The "abs/srs" unit isn't fried; and if you would know anything the abs/srs unit is seperate unit and ABS is in rear passenger plastic; and SRS is under the dash.

Go buy an SRS reel and stop crying.

 

All I said was:

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by GO-FIGHT-KILL &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Shouldn't he be here to explain HIS side? </TD></TR></TABLE>

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by GO-FIGHT-KILL &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I think the other 'Member' in the story, should defend himself. Not his boy.</TD></TR></TABLE>

It's not me liking to think anything, it was just the way it appeared to anyone who read it. He hasn't posted once, and you're defending him. Point blank, that's how it appeared. If you would have said what you just did in your prior post (To this one), it wouldn't have been questioned.